


Tied by Blood

by 4thofFive



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 14:05:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5093507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4thofFive/pseuds/4thofFive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny has kept a dark secret from his team, one that could threaten his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tied by Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Another old one. I'm afraid there's going to be a bit of a deluge of my old stories for a while until I can finish posting them.

Danny let out an annoyed huff and rolled onto his side once again punching the pillow under his head in a fruitless attempt to make it fluffier…or something.

This was the first night he’d slept in his own shitty bed in his own crappy apartment for weeks and he was miserable. He hadn’t intended to come home but when he realized at 11 p.m. that he had court in the morning and had left his good suit at his place, coming home and spending the night in his own apartment seemed the logical thing to do. He didn’t want Steve to have to wait up for him.

Of course now it was 2 a.m. and he couldn’t sleep without his personal six foot one inch tall space heater plastered against him.

Danny sighed again and rolled onto his back. He had a key to Steve’s house and he knew the alarm code. Maybe he could sneak back in without waking his boyfriend. He snorted at that idea. He would barely have his hand on the doorknob before Steve would appear in full combat gear and camo face paint with a flame thrower, or something, tight in his grip. Steve was nothing if not vigilant about safety – except when it came to jumping off buildings or leaping onto moving vehicles. Those risks were perfectly ok to the SEAL.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut and began thinking about watching Gracie sleeping in her crib when she was a baby. That used to calm him when he was a brand new detective too wired about the events of the day to sleep, maybe it would now. Danny’s mouth had just curved up into a smile as he pictured his baby girl warm and happy in her fuzzy pink onesie when his phone rang jarring him out of the lovely memory.

Danny reached over to grab the phone and was surprised to see his parent’s picture on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Danny? It’s Dad,”

Danny sat upright at the note of tension in his father’s voice.

“Dad? What’s wrong? Is everyone ok?”

“Yes son, everyone is fine, but something’s happened and your Mom and I wanted to talk to you about it right away – to warn you.”

Danny climbed out of bed and began pacing the room nervously.

“Warn me about what?”

He could hear his father clear his throat on the other end of the line.

“Are you at Steve’s right now,” his father asked abruptly. “Is he with you?”

Danny ran his fingers through his hair distractedly.

“No, I’m at home. I had to get my suit for court tomorrow so I decided to stay here for the night. Dad, what’s going on?”

“Danny…Marcus Cochrane has escaped from prison.”

Danny stopped short at those words.

“What? How is that possible? He was in solitary confinement.”

Danny could hear the sound of paper rustling in the background.

“All I know is what’s in the paper,” Danny’s dad continued. “He escaped six days ago. It says he overpowered a guard and possibly hid in laundry truck. They think he had some help on the outside.”

Blowing out a breath, Danny sat down heavily in a kitchen chair.

“Look Dad, I don’t think you and Mom are in any danger, but I’ll call the Captain at my old precinct and see if he can get someone to--”

“Danny,” his father interrupted. “That’s not why I’m calling. Your mother and I aren’t worried about ourselves. We’re scared for you.”

“Me?”

“Son, Cochrane just called your mother a few minutes ago. He said he was looking for you.”

Danny shook his head in disbelief.

“Jesus, how did he get your phone number?" Danny shook his head dismissively. "Look, it doesn’t matter anyway Dad because I’m 5,000 miles away from New Jersey.”

“No, no you don’t understand,” his father’s voice rose in fear. “The call your mother received, it was from Hawaii!”

Danny sat stunned for a moment and swallowed convulsively.

“Danny? Son, are you there?”

The blond detective cleared his throat and rubbed his free hand over his face.

“Yeah Dad, I’m still here.”

“Son, I want you to go back to Steve’s house right away and tell him what’s going on.”

Danny shook his head even though his father couldn’t see the action.

“Dad, it’s after two in the morning. Besides, I’m a police officer. I have a gun. I know how to take care of myself.”

Danny heard the sound of a kitchen chair being pushed back and knew his father was now pacing the kitchen nervously. Danny came by his habits honestly.

“Son, listen to me, ok? Your mother and I know you can take care of yourself, but Marcus Cochrane is a very dangerous, psychotic human being. Mom and I won’t be able to rest unless we know that you’re safe with Steve – or Kono or Chin – with anyone watching your back.”

Danny released a shaky sigh and rested his head in his hand.

“Dad I…I’ve never told Steve about Cochrane. I meant to but I haven’t. What if he…what if it changes his opinion of me? What if he doesn’t want to be with me anymore?”

His Dad sighed softly and Danny knew his father had stopped pacing and was probably staring out of the kitchen window.

“Son, you know your Mom and I were…well…surprised and a bit upset when we heard about you and Steve getting together. We probably didn’t handle it as well as we should have--”

“Dad you don’t need to--”

“No, let me finish. Even though we were upset at first, it became obvious that you were happy with Steve, happier than you’ve probably ever been in your life. Then, when we had a chance to talk to Steve, and to see the two of you together on Skype, it was clear to us that you were both very much in love and that Steve would do anything to protect you. You’re a parent Danny. You know what a relief it is knowing that your child is loved and protected and cared for – no matter what their age.”

Danny could hear his father’s voice break and the older man had to take a few shaky breaths to control his emotions. The sound made Danny’s throat go tight.

“Danny, Steve loves you very much. Knowing the truth about Cochrane won’t matter to him. He’s a fine man and he’s devoted to you. You need to trust him, to open up to him, ok?”

Swallowing convulsively, Danny felt tears spring to his eyes.

“Yeah, ok Dad,” he responded hoarsely.

“You’ll head over to his place right away and tell him what’s going on?”

Danny took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Yes, Dad. I’ll get dressed and go right now.”

The detective heard his father sigh in relief.

“Good, thank you son. Go there quickly, ok? And call us in the morning. We need to know you’re alright.”

Danny stood up and walked to his closet to find something to wear.

“I will Dad. I love you both very much.”

His father’s voice was rough and cracking.

“We love you too, son. Keep safe.”

**********

Danny stepped through the door of Steve’s house and disabled the alarm system. As he turned to hang up his suit on the back of the door, he caught sight his boyfriend standing at the foot of the stairs with a gun in his hand. At least there was no flame thrower.

Steve’s shoulders slumped in relief.

“Not that I’m not happy you’re back Danno, but what the hell are you doing here at 3 a.m.?”

“Sorry babe,” Danny responded quietly. “I didn’t mean to wake you but I just talked to my parents and they made me promise I’d come over here immediately.”

Steve stiffened at that and walked rapidly towards Danny stopping just inches away from him.

“Your parents? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Danny put his hand on Steve’s bicep and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“No, the family is ok it’s just…something has happened and they’re scared for me and wanted me to come and…I don’t know…let you guard me or something.”

Steve leaned over and put his gun on a nearby bookcase then wrapped his arms around Danny and pulled him tight against his chest.

“What happened? Why are they scared for you?”

Clutching at Steve almost desperately, Danny could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He should have told Steve about this a long time ago.

Pulling back slightly, Danny looked up into his partner’s worried eyes.

“Babe, can we sit down? This is a bit of a story.”

Keeping one arm around Danny’s shoulders, Steve guided him to the couch then sat down beside him taking one of Danny’s hands in his.

“I’m listening,” Steve said quietly giving Danny a reassuring smile.

Smiling back briefly, Danny found he had to look away from Steve’s face in order to get the words out.

“First of all, I just want you to know that I didn’t mean to keep this from you. I should have told you a long time ago but I’ve never really told anyone, except Rachel that is, but she’s the mother of my child so I felt she deserved to know, but I’ve never told anyone else and I’ve just always tried to put it out of my mind and…”

“Danny, Danny,” Steve interrupted putting an arm back around Danny’s shoulders and giving them a squeeze. “Honey, you’re not making any sense. Take a deep breath, calm down and tell me what’s going on.”

Danny pulled in a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When he felt more in control he turned to face Steve realizing he needed to look him in the eyes when he talked about this. He took Steve's hand in his.

“Steve, have you ever heard of a man by the name of Marcus Cochrane?”

The SEAL paused in thought for a moment then shook his head.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Danny licked his lips nervously.

“Just over 35 years ago, Marcus Cochrane was stopped for a minor traffic violation one late night in Camden, New Jersey. When the officer spoke to him Cochrane was acting nervous and jittery. The cop was suspicious and decided to search Cochrane’s car. In the back seat he found break and enter tools and in the trunk he found…he found the body of a young woman. Her throat had been slashed and she had been bound and gagged.”

Danny swallowed thickly.

“He was eventually convicted of that murder and four others. It’s suspected that he has murdered or raped at least nine other women. He was…the media at the time dubbed him the Jersey Shore Slasher.” Danny huffed out a pained laugh. “They do love a sensational headline.”

Steve rubbed Danny’s arm with his free hand and the detective could see his boyfriend was confused.

“That’s a horrible story Danny, but I don’t see what it has to do with you.”

Danny felt his eyes fill with tears and his bottom lip tremble. He took a shuddering breath and looked away from his love.

“Steve…Marcus Cochrane is my biological father.”

 

**********

Steve stared in shock for a moment.

“What? I…I don’t understand.”

Danny took a deep breath and let go of Steve’s hand and stood up. He paced to the front door and back as he worked to get his emotions under control. Finally he sat down on the coffee table just in front of Steve, their knees touching.

“I’m going to start from the beginning so let me just spill it all and then I’ll answer your questions, alright?”

Steve nodded dumbly.

Danny paused for a moment gathering his thoughts.

“When my Mom was 16 she went to a church social and met Cochrane. He was eight years older than her – which by the way if this had been Grace I would have killed the guy – but since they met at a church function, my grandparents were convinced he was a good, Christian man and they allowed the two to date.”

“Mom said when she first met him he was handsome and kind; very religious with strongly held opinions about men and women and their roles. Being 16, I think Mom saw him a manly man, someone who would protect her. As they continued to date she said she found him more controlling and intense. She had to check in with him regularly, and he would go nuts if he saw her even talking to a boy.”

 

Danny shook his head in disbelief.

 

“I guess she found that flattering rather than scary, at least at first. Anyway, after a couple of months of dating they had sex and he began to talk about them running away together to spread the word of God. As he made all these weird plans, Mom became more and more intimidated and frightened by him.”

“She was starting to pull away from him and making plans to break up with him when she found out she was pregnant. Her parents went ballistic of course and insisted Mom and Cochrane marry. Cochrane was all for the idea, wanting her to drop out of school and become a proper and obedient wife and mother. Mom was terrified of marrying him, but she was more terrified of her parents and their disapproval. It was only a few days before the planned wedding that Cochrane was stopped by the cop who found the body in his car and he was arrested. But even after he went to jail he continued to write and call my mother demanding that she stay true to him and telling her that if he ever found out she was with someone else, he would slit her throat.”

“Jesus,” Steve whispered.

Danny took a deep breath and entwined his fingers tightly, holding them firmly on his knees.

“Mom was traumatized when she learned about Cochrane’s double life. She had no doubt that if he escaped, or by some miracle got acquitted, he would come looking for her.”

“She decided to move to Newark and live with a couple of distant cousins until she could figure out what to do. Then, in her fifth month of pregnancy, she met my Dad who was a trainee firefighter. After dating for a couple of months he asked her to marry him.

Danny’s mouth quirked into a small smile and his eyes filled with tears again.

“She told him about Cochrane and about the baby but he didn’t care. He said he loved her and the baby would be theirs.”

A tear rolled down Danny’s cheek and he brushed it away quickly sitting up straight as if willing himself to go on.

“In her eighth month they married so when I was born in August of ‘76, Dad’s name was on the birth certificate.”

Steve reached out and put a hand on Danny’s knee.

“When did they tell you the truth?”

Danny gave a snort of disgust and stood up to pace the room again.

“They didn’t tell me until I was 19 years old, can you believe that? I guess they were afraid if they told me when I was a teenager I’d…I don’t know…think it was cool or something and I’d go visit Cochrane.”

“How did you react when your parents told you the truth?”

Danny came slowly back to the couch and slumped against Steve, his short, quick breaths told Steve his partner was trying not to break down.

“I just…” Danny’s voice cracked and Steve put his arms around him. “I felt so betrayed. It felt like everything my parents had ever said or done had been a lie. I was so angry and humiliated.”

He trembled and buried his face in Steve’s chest while clutching onto his lover’s shirt with a death grip. Steve stayed quiet and allowed Danny to collect himself. The detective’s voice was muffled by Steve’s shirt when he spoke again.

“I remember looking at my brother and sisters and thinking, ‘they’re my half-brother and sisters. I’m not really a part of this family.’”

Steve rubbed his boyfriend’s back in slow, gentle circles.

“I went to the library and I looked up the stories about Cochrane and the things he’d done,” Danny continued. “When I finished I had to run to the bathroom to vomit. I realized that monster was part of me. I shared his DNA. I couldn’t help wondering if I’d been tainted by him. Would I start to act like him? Was I capable of doing the horrifying things he had done?”

“Danny,” Steve whispered softly, “You’re nothing like him.”

Danny sat up suddenly and words began to tumble out of his mouth in a panicked rush.

“But I didn’t know that you see? I had a bad temper – still do. Maybe he did too. Maybe he lost his temper and killed someone and decided he liked it. Maybe somehow he got a taste for blood, or for humiliating and degrading women. Maybe that would happen to me. I didn’t know. I was so fucking terrified and I couldn’t talk to anyone about it.”

The smaller man was now shaking visibly.

“That’s why I never told anyone…even the Newark Police when I joined up. I kept it from them. I kept it from everyone. I was afraid that if I told anyone they would look at me like maybe I was evil too, like I couldn’t be trusted.”

“But you told Rachel.” Steve stated.

Danny nodded his head vigorously and wiped a few stray tears from his face with the backs of his hands.

“I had to. I didn’t want to but I had to. We were going to get married. We wanted children and I wanted her to know that I was tainted. She had the right to know, to back out of our marriage if she wanted to.”

Steve put a warm hand on his boyfriend’s face.

“Jesus, Danny, you didn’t really think that just because Cochrane was…the sperm donor…that you would somehow become like him?”

Danny took another shuddering breath and wrapped his arms tightly around his body.

“I didn’t know,” he whispered brokenly. “I didn’t know what to think. But then Rachel said she loved me and trusted me and then Grace...” Danny’s voice broke and he held a fist to his mouth, his eyes blinking rapidly. “Grace was born and she was so perfect and wonderful and I knew that if I could give life to something so perfect, I couldn’t be a monster.”

Steve slid his hand from Danny’s face to cup the back of his neck.

“So why didn’t you tell me?”

Danny swallowed heavily and looked at Steve with pleading eyes.

“I meant to tell you. I really did but I…couldn’t…I was ashamed… I can’t explain it. I’m sorry. I should have…”

Danny lowered his head and took several ragged breaths unable to continue.

Steve gave Danny’s neck a gentle squeeze.

“It’s ok, Danny. I can’t pretend I would know how I would react if our situations were reversed.”

Danny gave Steve a grateful smile.

“Thanks, Babe.”

“Now, tell me what happened tonight.”

Danny looked up at his partner again, his eyes now blazing.

“That bastard escaped from jail six days ago and today he called Mom. He told her he wanted to find me. The call came from Hawaii.”

***********

“OK, here’s what we’re going to do.”

It was after 4 a.m. and the two men were in Steve’s kitchen, any thoughts of sleep long since forgotten.

As Danny sat at the table with his hands wrapped around a warm mug of coffee, Steve paced the room in full tactical combat officer mode.

“I’ll drive you to court in the morning – well in three hours – and I’ll stay there until you’re finished.”

Danny opened his mouth to argue but Steve put up his hand to stop him.

“Don’t interrupt, Danno. Then we’ll go into work and I’ll get Chin and Kono started on looking for Cochrane. They can arrange to get an up-to-date picture and his file from the New Jersey Department of Corrections.”

Steve continued his pacing.

“Then we’ll go to your place and you can gather your stuff – in fact we might as well move you out of your apartment all together – and I’ll bring you back here.”

Danny suppressed a small smile. The couple had been talking about Danny moving in for a few weeks but neither had made the final decision. It appeared Steve just had.

“I’ll call HPD,” Steve continued, “get a 24 hour guard put on this house as well as Stan and Rachel’s. I’ll also have an officer drive Grace to school every morning that you and I can’t.”

Danny felt his stomach churn at the thought of Cochrane anywhere near his daughter.

“I don’t know if Cochrane even knows if they exist, but I’ll feel better having Rachel and Grace guarded,” he said quietly.

The detective chewed his lip apprehensively for a moment.

“Steve, do we have to tell HPD the truth about why Cochrane is here?”

Steve paused for a moment then shook his head.

“I have to tell them the truth about who Cochrane is because they need to know how dangerous he is, but they don’t need to know his connection with your family. I’ll tell them, I don’t know, that he fixated on your mom when she was a girl and never gave it up. Now he’s coming after you to hurt her…something like that anyway.”

Danny sighed and put his elbows on the table resting his aching head in his hands.

“We might as well not bother lying. They’re going to find out the truth anyway after we arrest him.”

Steve stopped pacing and was so quiet Danny looked up at him apprehensively.

“No, they’re not Danny, because when we find him I’m going to put a bullet in his brain.”

Danny felt a cold chill run up his spine at those words.

“S-Steve, you can’t…”

Shaking his head decidedly, Steve gave Danny a hard stare.

“Cochrane is a rabid dog, Danny. I won’t let him threaten my family any longer.”

**********

Danny had to admit he was nervous walking into Five-0 headquarters after court had finished. His apprehension wasn’t helped by Steve who walked close to him, his eyes darting back and forth continuously searching for danger like he was Secret Service and Danny was the President.

As they approached the main doors, Danny paused for a moment and turned to look at Steve.

“Chin and Kono…what if they..?”

Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation.

“Danny, they’re our friends. They’re not going to care anymore than I do who your biological father was.”

Danny nodded but dropped his eyes.

“Would you…could you tell them?”

Steve sighed wishing he could convince Danny that none of this mattered.

“Sure, if that’s what you want.”

Danny walked through the doors waving a greeting to Chin and Kono as he moved quickly into his own office. He started his computer and tried to focus on work, but kept glancing out into the bull pen where Steve was briefing the rest of the team. At one point Danny looked over and saw Chin and Kono staring at him, shocked expressions on their faces. Feeling his cheeks flaring in humiliation, Danny ducked his head slightly and turned his attention back to the computer. He knew he was being stupid, but this was a secret he’d kept for so long, he felt exposed by its revelation.

The detective jumped when his office door was shoved open and Kono Kalakaua stormed in, marched behind his desk and slapped him hard across the back of the head.

“Ow! What the hell?”

“Danny Williams, you may be the stupidest man I’ve ever known,” Kono barked. “I’m offended that you would think that knowing about Cochrane would change our opinion of you one iota. We love you, you dumb jerk!”

Danny glanced over to the door and saw Steve and Chin stifling their laughter. He glared at them then turned his attention back to Kono.

“I’m sorry, Kono, it’s just that…it’s difficult and…”

He shrugged in defeat and Kono leaned down and hugged him hard.

“It’s ok. You’re an idiot but you’re our idiot.”

Leaning back she looked into his eyes with blazing intensity.

“But we don’t give a shit, do you understand that?”

Danny swallowed hard and nodded.

“Let me hear you say it out loud so that I know it got through your thick Jersey skull.”

Fighting a smile and a lump in the throat at the same time, Danny spoke quietly.

“You don’t give a shit,” he repeated softly, “and you love me even though I’m a dumb jerk.”

Kono nodded firmly.

“Now get out of that chair and over to the computer table so we can plan how we’re going to catch this bastard so Steve can drop him in a shark cage.”

Danny grinned happily and climbed out of his chair and let Kono pull him out into the bull pen.

***********

“I’ve read everything I could get my hands on about Cochrane, including the case reports and psychiatrists notes. I can take you through it if you want.”

Steve, Kono and Chin glanced at each other then back to Danny.

“If you’re ok to do that buddy then yeah, I think that would help,” replied Steve

Danny took a deep breath and dropped his eyes to his hands folded on his lap.

“Marcus Cochrane was born September 20, 1953 in Willston, North Dakota. His father was an itinerant preacher, although there’s no record of him being ordained in any religion. The old man carted the family all over the nation in a refurbished school bus that served as their home, but also included a tiny chapel.

Not much is known about Cochrane’s mother except that she was a small, mousy woman with brown hair which she kept fairly straight and parted in the middle. According to the few people who remembered her, she seemed to obey her husband without question.”

Danny reached over for the mug of coffee he had left sitting near the computer table and took a sip. While he was speaking, Chin was pulling up any relevant photos or documentation that was available from the Camden Police.

“Not much is known about the family’s life on the road, but I did find quite a few mentions in the files about “incidents” happening in various towns necessitating the rapid departure of the Cochrane family. It was the late 50’s, early 60’s so people didn’t talk very openly about these things, but the rumours are the Reverend Cochrane – as he liked to call himself – liked the ladies and any female over the age of 13 was open season for him. Apparently he liked to invite them back to his private chapel on the bus to give them his special benediction.”

Danny wiped the palms of his hands on his pants as if trying to remove a stain from them.

“Years later, after Marcus Cochrane was arrested, the court sent a psychiatrist to examine him. He refused to provide much information to the man but one thing Cochrane spoke about was that sometime during their travels his mother vanished without a trace. Cochrane – who was about 14 at the time – said he heard his mother and father arguing the night before, something they rarely did since Mrs. Cochrane was so cowed by her husband. Cochrane remembers his father calling his mother a filthy whore and saying he would cleanse her of her sins.”

“Wait a minute, that sounds familiar,” interrupted Chin going through the computer files rapidly.

Danny nodded but didn’t look up.

“A couple of the women who survived attacks by Cochrane remember him saying that to them.”

Danny moved to set his coffee mug on a nearby table and hoped no one could see the tremor in his hands.

“Cochrane believes, of course, that his father murdered his mother. But the way his father railed about his mother afterwards – that she was godless and a prostitute – Cochrane came to believe his mother was at fault and his father was right to punish her, as he called it.”

“When he was 19, Cochrane was drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam. He was dishonourably discharged after about eight months for reasons that have remained murky, but - again this is rumour - he supposedly raped and tortured three Vietnamese girls. He ended up in Camden, New Jersey and began doing odd jobs, labourer work, anything that would keep him employed when he needed money, and allow him to hunt for victims when he didn’t. Then he met my mother.”

Danny swallowed hard then looked up at each of his teammates individually and gave them a sad smile.

“You can see why I don’t like talking about him.”

“Does he have a type?” Kono asked softly, knowing serial killers usually had a specific type of victim they went after; sometimes the type was obvious only to the killer.

The detective nodded and glanced at the screen as Chin put up the pictures of Cochrane’s known victims.

“Yeah. Usually they are women in their late teens to late 20’s. They usually all have long hair which they kept parted in the middle.”

“Like his mom,” Kono murmured.

“All of the women worked in some industry that Cochrane disapproved of,” continued Danny. “Bar maids, prostitutes, exotic dancers – anything he felt was godless and sinful.”

“Your mom didn’t seem to fit the profile. Why did he take an interest in her I wonder?” asked Chin.

Danny stood from the chair and walked a few steps closer to lean heavily against the computer table, his eyes glued to the pictures of Cochrane’s victims. He felt Steve press up against his side and he leaned slightly into Steve’s strength.

“I don’t know. Mom was – is – small and blonde and she used to wear her hair in curls around her face. He used to say she looked like an angel. Maybe he thought the two of them would, I don’t know, be the new Joseph and Mary. I really have no idea. I’m just grateful she was not his type because I have no doubt that if he hadn’t been arrested and she had tried to escape from him…”

Danny bit his lip and looked down at the computer table. He felt Steve’s hand strong and reassuring on his lower back.

Chin cleared his throat.

“Anything notable about the crime scenes?”

Nodding again, Danny gestured for Chin to put up the crime scene photos.

“The women were all bound with heavy rope, all gagged, all sexually assaulted and all had their throats slashed. One thing that was never released to the media is that each of them had words scrawled on their bodies, usually with a ball point pen but sometimes with a lipstick belonging to the victim.”

“What kind of words?” Steve asked quietly.

Danny shrugged slightly, “the usual religious nut stuff: jezebel, whore, sinner, fornicator. Nothing terribly original.”

“Anything else we should know? Steve asked gently.

Danny shrugged.

“I don’t think so. The cops in Camden think he may have been responsible for at least nine other murders as well as a number of rapes, but couldn’t pin them on him. They also did some checking around to other places he’d lived, including the places the family bus had visited when he was a young man. There were a few murders in the areas during that time but again, nothing could be pinned on him.”

Steve put a hand on Danny’s shoulder and squeezed it gently.

“OK, thanks partner, I think that’s enough for today”

The Commander turned to the other members of his team

“Chin? Kono? I want you to work with HPD and start looking for this bastard. Get the word out to all of your contacts. He had to get on this island somehow. I want HPD to continue to canvas all the motels and flop houses on Oahu. I think we can assume he wouldn’t have the money to stay in an expensive place but if our canvas of the cheaper places doesn’t pan out, we’ll start going up market.”

“Get the video feed from the Honolulu airport as well as the smaller airports on the other islands. Also send cops to all the boating companies, tour companies, anyone that might have brought Cochrane here.”

Steve turned to Danny and noted his boyfriend’s slightly stooped posture and the dark circles around his eyes.

“I’m going to take you back to your place so we can pick up anything you might need for the next week or so. We’ll take care of moving the rest of your stuff in later.”

Danny blushed and glanced over at Chin and Kono then back at Steve, his eyebrows raised in warning.

“Oh,” Steve flushed with embarrassment. He looked over at Kono and Chin and shrugged slightly. “Umm…Danny is moving in with me.”

Chin and Kono both grinned happily.

“About time,” Kono laughed. “We were wondering if you were going to make honest men of each other.”

**********

Steve pushed the door open and let it swing wide until it touched the back wall. He and Danny entered the apartment with guns drawn sweeping left to right and moving gracefully around each other in the coordinated moves they instinctively developed on their first days as partners.

“Clear,” called Steve after checking the bathroom.

“Me too,” responded Danny going to the closet to get a suitcase to gather up his few belongings that hadn’t already migrated over to Steve’s during the course of their relationship.

“Need any help?” asked Steve pausing for a moment with his iPhone in hand.

Danny shook his head as he began packing his bag.

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t have too much to bring over. When I’m finished with this I’m just going to grab a couple of books and the laptop and I’ll be ready to go.”

“OK. I’ve got to return a call from the Governor so I’ll be just outside.”

Nodding again, Danny went into the bathroom and gathered his personal items then to his bookshelf to pick out a few paperbacks. He dropped them in the open bag then looked around for his laptop. Danny sighed in annoyance when he saw it wasn’t in its usual place.

“Ok Grace, what did you do with it this time?” he asked the empty room.

Looking around the apartment, he found the laptop on the floor beside the bed. Danny huffed in aggravation when he saw that it had been left on. He hated wasting power. The detective sat down on the bed and placed the computer on his knees pressing a key to bring it out of sleep mode to shut it down.

'One Program Still Running' flashed up on the screen.

Danny clicked to open the Word program wanting to be sure the document that was still running wasn’t something Grace might need for school.

The detective froze as the page popped up on the screen. He stood suddenly and fumbled with the laptop as it started to slide to the floor.

“Steve?” he called out, his voice shaking.

“STEVE!” he yelled this time dropping the laptop roughly on the coffee table and taking a few steps away from it.

Steve burst through the door, his gun already in his hand.

“Danny? What’s wrong?”

His partner stood staring at the open laptop.

Moving to Danny’s side, Steve bent down slightly to see a message on the screen.

Hi Danny,

Sory I mist you. Ive been looking forwurd to meeting you for 35 years I’m disapointed I didnt find you at home but I liked seeing the family pictchers. Your mom is still really pretty. Is that my granddaughter? She sure is pretty to. I can’t wait to meet her and hold her on my lap.

See you soon,

Love,

Your dad Marcus

**********

Danny dropped despondently onto the couch in Steve’s living room and let his head thump against the backrest.

Eyeing him sympathetically for a moment, Steve sat down, put his arm around Danny and pulled him closer to rest his head on his shoulder.

“I know this is a stupid question, but are you ok?”

Sighing heavily, Danny shook his head.

“I just…I keep thinking about that bastard being in my apartment - the place where my baby lives sometimes – and it makes me sick. To know he saw the photos, saw Grace and my Mom."

Steve squeezed his boyfriend’s shoulder and dropped a kiss onto the top of Danny’s head then rested his cheek against the smaller man’s hair.

“We’re going to get him, babe. I promise.”

Danny took a shuddering breath and leaned heavily on Steve.

“Fuck, I’m tired.”

Pushing Danny upright, Steve stood and grabbed his boyfriend’s arms and pulled him to his feet.

“Go upstairs and crawl into our bed and try to sleep for a while. I’ll wake you at dinner time.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep.”

“Just try. At least lie down for a while and close your eyes. You didn’t sleep at all last night and you’re running out of gas.”

Nodding reluctantly, Danny lifted up onto his toes and kissed his boyfriend on the lips.

“OK, I’ll try.”

 

**********

 

Danny woke to the sound of Steve’s phone ringing and Steve running in from outside to answer it. Danny stretched and looked over at the clock: 3:30 pm. He’d slept for about an hour and a half. He felt drained and exhausted in a way he hadn’t experienced in a long time, but he knew there would be no more sleep this afternoon.

Climbing tiredly out of bed, Danny went to the washroom, used the toilet then washed his hands and face. As he walked down the stairs, He heard Steve in the kitchen talking on the phone and could tell from his partner’s tone that something was up.

“Who found her?” Steve asked into the phone.

“And it looks the same as the others?”

Danny entered the kitchen quietly. Steve had his back to Danny and the detective could see his partner scrubbing his hand roughly through his hair.

“OK, Chin…no, Danny’s sleeping. I don’t think I’ll tell him about this yet. Let’s make sure first. Yeah, I’ll be there in 20 minutes or so.”

Steve switched off the phone and leaned against the kitchen counter for a moment.

“Tell Danny about what?”

Steve spun around at Danny’s words and forced a smile to his face.

“Hey, I thought you were going to try to get some rest.”

The smaller man took a few steps forward.

“I slept for a while. I’m fine. Tell Danny about what?” he repeated.

Steve took a deep breath and met Danny’s eyes.

“A jogger on Waimanalo beach found a body in the woods. The victim is a young woman. She’s been bound and gagged and she was--”

“Raped and her throat was slit,” Danny completed Steve’s words and dropped his head into his hands.

“We don’t know for sure it’s Cochrane, Danny.”

Snorting in derision, Danny dropped his hands and looked at his partner incredulously.

“You know damned well its Cochrane. It’s his signature. Goddamned bastard has been free for a week and he’s already starting up again. We’re going to have to drive a stake through this fucker’s heart to stop him.”

Steve shrugged impassively.

“If that’s what it takes.”

Rubbing his face angrily, Danny took a deep calming breath as if trying to build up his strength. He dropped his hands to his side limply.

“Let me get my gun and badge and we can leave,” he told Steve, wearily turning to go and collect the items from where he’d left them by their bed.

Steve reached out and took Danny by the arm turning him back to face him.

“Danny, you don’t have to go. Why don’t you stay here? Carpenter and Nakagawa are outside on guard and--”

“Steven! I’m a member of Five-0 and your partner. I’m going with you!”

Steve paused ready to argue, but he could tell by the look on Danny’s face that it would be useless.

“OK,” he replied dropping his hand. “I’ll wait for you in the car.”

**********

Chin looked up from the crime scene and raised his eyebrows as he saw Danny walking towards him beside Steve.

“Hey brah, I thought you were trying to get some rest?”

The detective looked over at the older man and shrugged.

“I’ve slept enough. I know you guys want to protect me but I’m still a cop and I still have a job to do.”

Chin nodded and patted Danny on the shoulder then turned back to the crime scene.

Lifting the crime scene tape, Steve and Danny stepped into the area and moved closer to the body. The victim was a woman who appeared to be in her early 20’s. She was wearing a blue tank top but was naked from the waist down. Her arms were bound tightly behind her back and the rope extended down to also bind her feet. She was lying on her side, her bruised face and open, dead eyes facing the detectives. Her throat was sliced open and laid bare.

“Any ID?” asked Steve, his eyes making a visual inspection of the area.

“Nothing yet,” replied Chin quietly.

Kono, who had been kneeling near the body, stood up and looked over at the rest of the team.

“They’re ready to take her away now, boss.”

Steve nodded as the crime scene technicians spread out a body bag beside the girl and lifted her onto it. As they moved her, the detectives could see her shirt had been pushed up in the back and words had been scrawled across her body in what appeared to be ballpoint pen. Danny swallowed hard feeling nausea grow in the pit of his stomach.

“What do the words say?” he asked his voice rough.

One of the crime scene investigators looked up at him, unaware of his involvement in the case.

“It says ‘for Danny’.”

Danny froze in shock, his mouth open and closing mutely. He turned suddenly and stumbled away to throw-up violently in the nearby bushes.

**********

“Danny, love, it’s not your fault,” murmured Steve gently as he crouched on the floor between Danny’s legs, hands on his partner’s thighs as the smaller man sat on the couch almost curling into himself.

“I know,” a shaken Danny replied, trying and unable to meet Steve’s eyes. “I know I didn’t kill her, but I’m the reason Cochrane is on this island, and he’s the reason that girl is dead.”

“Cochrane is an animal, he’s psychotic. He would have killed again no matter where he was.”

Danny’s eyes filled with tears and he dropped his gaze to a point somewhere on Steve’s tee shirt.

“You saw what was scrawled on that poor girl’s body. He did it because of me.”

Steve reached out a hand and lifted Danny’s chin until their eyes met.

“Cochrane doesn’t need a reason to kill, Danny. Yes he scrawled your name on the body, but he would have done it anyway. You’re just part of his sick, twisted game. He didn’t kill because of you, he killed because he enjoys killing.”

Danny pulled in a deep breath and nodded, blinking rapidly to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over. Sighing sadly, Steve put a hand around the back of Danny’s head and pulled it forward gently until their foreheads touched.

“Babe, I hate like hell to do this but the Governor called and he wants to see me tonight. The media has got hold of the fact that Cochrane is in town and they’re starting to salivate. Denning wants me to brief him before his press conference tomorrow.”

Danny gave Steve a weak smile and lifted a hand to rest on Steve’s arm.

“It’s ok babe, go ahead. I’m gonna do some paperwork, maybe watch a little TV and then I’ll probably go to bed early.”

“Want me to ask Chin or Kono to come over and stay with you?” asked Steve letting go of Danny’s head and dropping his hand to his boyfriend’s knees.

“No, I’m fine. I’ve got my two baby sitters outside. I’ll be alright.”

Steve nodded distractedly. It was obvious he didn’t want to leave but he couldn’t ignore a summons from the Governor.

“I’ll be home as soon as I can,” he murmured leaning in to give his lover a kiss.

**********

Danny spent an hour staring sightlessly at the TV before shutting it off and picking up the files he needed to work on. His police guards had switched out just after 7 p.m. and he was now in the capable hands of Sergeant Kanekuni, a crusty old cop who looked like he just climbed out of an old Joseph Wambaugh novel, and Officer West, a fresh faced young officer so new his uniform was still sharply creased and his badge almost glistened. Danny regularly saw the Sergeant passing by the living room window patrolling the front of the house while Officer Baby Face handled the back beach area.

The detective forced himself to buckle down and read the files in front of him. They were not related to Cochrane’s most recent murder so Danny was able to lose himself in the details of a potential drug trafficking ring for a good half hour. As his eyes began to droop, he stood up and walked to the kitchen for a glass of water. He’d hoped to wait up for Steve but was beginning to think he wouldn’t be able to stay awake much longer. The detective reached into the cupboard to the left of the sink and grabbed a water glass just as the house was plunged into darkness.

The glass slipped out of Danny’s hand and shattered in the sink. Looking out the kitchen window, he saw the neighbourhood lights were still on. Only this house was dark and Danny knew he was in trouble.

He cursed himself for having left his weapon in the other room and out of reach. Moving as quietly as possible, Danny began feeling his way through the darkened house back into the living room.

Hearing nothing from the two police officers outside, Danny could only assume they were either unconscious or had been killed; two more people potentially dead in his name. Danny tried not to think about it.

He swore silently as he bumped his shin against the coffee table then felt around blindly for the nearby end table and sighed in relief when he felt the cold metal of his gun. Moving quietly, Danny peered out the front window. In the moonlight he could see the slumped body of Sergeant Kanekuni lying motionless on the front steps of the house.

The detective froze for a moment as he heard the patio doors leading from the kitchen to the lanai slide open slowly. Dodging around the coffee table, he moved to stand against the wall just to the left of the kitchen doorway.

“Danny?”

The detective felt a chill run up his spine when a voice that sounded eerily like his own, called his name in a jovial, sing song manner.

“Dan-ny? Son? It’s Dad. I hate for us to meet this way but I’m afraid that if you don’t show yourself I’m going to have to execute this nice young police officer.”

Danny plastered himself against the wall and leaned over quickly to catch a glimpse of Cochrane before pulling his head back. The detective’s heart sank as he realized Cochrane was holding baby faced Officer West’s limp body in front of him like a shield. In the darkened room there was no way to tell if the young officer was dead or alive.

“Let him go, Cochrane!” Danny called out. “He has nothing to do with this.”

Cochrane chuckled softly.

“Wow, you sound like a TV cop, Danny. You must be good at your job.”

“Cochrane, let the kid go,” Danny repeated crouching low and using the shadows to slip silently into the kitchen. He took shelter in the doorway leading to the laundry room giving him better sight lines.

“Danny, son, all I want to do is talk to you. I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially you. If you put the gun down and slide it over to me, I’ll let this boy go.”

Danny hesitated. While he knew that Cochrane was unlikely to let either the officer or himself go free, he also knew Steve would be home soon. If Danny could just stall until his partner arrived…

“OK Cochrane, I’m coming out. Don’t hurt the officer.”

“Thanks Danny, I sure appreciate it,” replied Cochrane, his voice light and easy as if he had these sorts of stand offs everyday. “Now, please put the gun on the floor and kick it gently over to me, ok?”

Taking a deep breath, Danny stepped out into a pool of moonlight. He slowly put his gun on the floor and kicked it to slide over to Cochrane. Bending down while still holding his hostage, Cochrane put down the knife he’d been holding to the officer’s throat and picked up the gun. He released his arm let the officer’s body drop to the floor while he retrieved his knife and slid it into a sheath on his belt.

The escapee took several steps into the kitchen, his face illuminated by the moonlight. Danny swallowed hard as he came face-to-face with the man who fathered him. The 62-year-old prison escapee had greying, roughly chopped hair and a lined, scarred face. He was about two inches taller than Danny and, despite his age, was a solid, muscular man. Danny felt a wave of nausea as he saw that the bastard was smiling brightly at him.

“OK, son,” Cochrane spoke quietly as if trying not to frighten the younger man. “I really hate to hold a gun on you, but I know your mind has probably been poisoned against me by your mother, so I can’t afford to take any chances.”

“My mind has been poisoned against you because you’ve murdered over a dozen women and raped countless more you piece of shit.”

Cochrane gasped at Danny’s last words.

“Son, I know you’re a policeman and you’ve seen a lot of bad things, but I don’t appreciate foul language. You should conduct yourself in a more godly way.”

Danny snorted incredulously.

“What the fuck do you know about God?”

The older man drew his eyebrows together in disapproval.

“Danny, we don’t have much time so I’d appreciate it if you would sit down at the table so I can talk to you.”

The detective pushed out his chin defiantly and crossed his arms tightly on his chest.

Lowering Danny’s gun slowly, Cochrane pointed it at the head of the young officer still slumped on the floor.

“Please, son.”

Pausing for only a moment, Danny reluctantly moved over to the kitchen table, pulled out a chair and sat down stiffly.

Cochrane approached the table slowly and pulled out his own chair being sure to stay well out of Danny’s reach. He sat down and grinned at his son again.

“I’m sorry it’s so dark in here, but I thought I’d have a better chance of getting in to the house to talk to you if I cut the power.”

Danny eyes drifted to the motionless body of Officer West.

“Are the two officers dead?” he asked, forcing his voice to stay calm.

The older man nodded almost reluctantly.

“I’m afraid so. I had to slit their throats. It’s really a very humane way to die.”

“You fucking bastard!” Danny hissed, fighting the overwhelming desire to launch himself across the table and strangle Cochrane.

The escapee shrugged slightly.

“They died as heroes in the war for man’s salvation, Danny. You shouldn’t mourn them. Besides, we don’t have much time and I have an important matter I need to discuss with you.”

Sitting back slightly in his chair, Danny fought to calm his voice.

“Say whatever the hell is it you have to say then kill me and get out. Your smell is starting to make me sick!”

Cochrane gasped in horror.

“Son no! I don’t want to kill you. You’re my boy. Why would I want to hurt you? I need you. We have a destiny.”

Danny fisted his hands and slammed them on the table.

“First of all, stop calling me son. You’re not my father. My father is a good man, a firefighter, who lives in Newark. Secondly, the only destiny you have is a violent death.”

Sighing regretfully, Cochrane shook his head in disappointment.

“As I feared, your mother poisoned your mind against me. She’s made you believe that I am some kind of murderer.”

“You are a murderer!” Danny shouted.

“No, no son, I’m not. I’m an angel working to bring God’s forgiveness to all who sin. Those girls I supposedly murdered, they were tramps, harlots. Their souls were black. They would have been damned for all eternity. I saved them. I cleansed them of their sins.”

“By slitting their throats,” Danny stated flatly.

“Yes, don’t you see? It’s like a sacrifice, the blood of the lamb washing away our sins. I washed away their sins.”

“But first you raped them.”

Cochrane dipped his head slightly as if embarrassed by the revelation.

“I didn’t want to, Danny, you have to believe that, but they used their wiles on me. They lured me; manipulated me into lustful congress. I had to punish them and wash away their sins. It was the only way.”

Danny sighed and shook his head in disbelief.

“What do you want from me, Cochrane?”

The murderer grinned happily again and slid his chair slightly forward in his excitement.

“Danny, you don’t know the truth about your family – my side of the family I mean. The truth is we’re messengers from God. We do God’s bidding on earth. We are his instruments in this earthly realm…”

“Get on with it!” Danny snapped.

Cochrane shook his head in disapproval but pressed on with his story.

“The truth is son, that as a member of the family, you are one of the chosen ones. I want you to come with me, stand beside me and fight the evil that is in the world. I want you to carry on my noble legacy. I’ve dreamed of this joyful reunion since the day I discovered who you are and where you live. I knew then that God had a plan for both of us.”

“How did you find me?”

Cochrane smiled again.

“One of the prisoners assigned to deliver our lunch in solitary confinement every day was a former private investigator in jail for fraud. We became friends and I told him about you. Since I had some money hidden away in my sister’s house, he agreed to find you in exchange for the cash after he was paroled. He helped me when I escaped too, although he had to be sacrificed for the greater good.”

Cochrane leaned forward excitedly.

“But now I’m here and we can begin our new life together in the service of God.”

Danny stared open-mouthed at the man for a moment.

“Jesus, you really are insane. You do remember I’m a police officer right?”

Cochrane waved his free hand as if dismissing that comment.

“But, that’s perfect don’t you see? As a police officer you’ve witnessed all of the sin and filth in the world. I believe you understand the value of my work better than anyone.”

Danny shifted in his chair.

“So, let me get this straight, you want me to travel the US with you murdering and raping women, is that right?”

“You don’t have to rape them,” Cochrane replied with an affronted air.

Danny smirked.

“Gotta be honest with you, Daddy dearest, your offer just doesn’t appeal to me.”

In the moonlight, Danny saw Cochrane’s face fall in disappointment.

“But son, if you don’t come with me, I’ll have to kill you and carry on my work alone.”

Danny shook his head regretfully.

“I’m afraid that’s not going to work either because no matter where you go, no matter what rock you hide under, Steve will track you down and kill you.”

“Steve? Is that the man who owns this house? He’s your partner?”

“Oh, he’s much more than that,” replied Danny smiling mirthlessly at the other man.

Cochrane tipped his head to the side.

“What do you mean?”

“Steve is my boyfriend. My lover. My life partner.”

“Don’t say such dirty things son. You’re not a faggot!”

“Oh, but its true Pops. Steve and I are in love. We have sex all the time: phenomenal sex. The man is an animal, and I think a bit of an acrobat…”

“Shut up!” Cochrane screamed. “Shut your filthy mouth you…sodomite.”

Danny nodded agreeably.

“Yeah, I kind of enjoy sodomy. Last time we did it was here on this table. God, it was--”

Without warning Cochrane reared up and smashed the butt of Danny’s gun viciously across the detective’s right temple. The blow sent Danny toppling out of the chair and sprawling onto the kitchen floor. His world greyed out for a moment, and he felt a warm gush of blood run down his face. Wiping the blood out of his eyes with his shirt sleeve, Danny pulled himself to his hands and knees and fought back the feeling of nausea and dizziness that assailed him.

He turned his head slowly and looked up to see Cochrane standing over him breathing rapidly, his face a mask of unspeakable rage in the moonlight.

“You disgust me!” The older man yelled. “You’re vile and sinful. You’re no son of mine!”

A pained, twisted grin spread across Danny’s face.

“That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time,” he croaked.

“Get up,” Cochrane screamed. “Get on your goddamned feet. You’re no better than the others. You’re disgusting.”

Danny slowly dragged himself to his feet and took a few stumbling steps to lean heavily on the counter in front of the sink.

“Gonna cleanse me of my sins, Daddy?” he sneered, “gonna slit my throat and write sodomite on my body with a pen?”

Cochrane stepped closer, looming over Danny, his face dark with rage.

“You’re not worth it!" he shouted. “You’re not worth the cleansing. I’m going to put a bullet through your fucking head!”

Danny slumped lower onto the counter and quietly dropped his hand into the sink searching for a shard of the glass he’d broken earlier.

“Don’t use such foul language around me, you bastard,” he growled.

With a cry of rage Danny grasped the shard of glass in his hand ignoring how it sliced through his fingers. The detective swung his arm wildly and felt a thrill of relief as the glass shard cut into the escapee’s neck causing blood to gush over the man’s shirt. Cochrane’s eyes widened in horror and his free hand immediately grabbed for the gaping wound in a futile attempt to stem the tide of blood.

The older man stared at Danny in disbelief for a moment then took a stumbling step backwards and raised the gun to point it at Danny’s head.

“Sinner,” Cochrane mouthed, his eyes flashing with hatred.

Danny closed his eyes and waited for the shot. Images of Grace and Steve flashed in his mind, and he felt grateful that Cochrane wouldn’t be able to threaten his loved ones anymore. Danny flinched in horror when he felt a hot liquid splash across his face at the same time as a loud roar reverberated through the kitchen.

Slowly opening his eyes, the detective saw his biological father staring sightlessly, a gruesome, gaping hole torn into his forehead. The older man dropped bonelessly to his knees then fell flat onto his face like a puppet with its strings cut.

Wiping Cochrane’s blood from his face, Danny looked up in confusion and saw Steve, smoking gun in hand. Danny stared at his lover for a moment as if seeing at a mirage. He stumbled over to his boyfriend and collapsed into the SEAL’s waiting arms. The two sank slowly to the floor and Steve wrapped his arms tightly around his partner pressing his face to Danny’s hair.

**********

Two days later Danny stood in front of the sliding glass doors leading to the lanai and watched the sun setting in wide streaks of colour over the Pacific. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered slightly. The memories of the past few days still haunted him and he knew they would for some time, but he also felt an overwhelming relief that Cochrane was dead, his cremated remains already on their way to New Jersey.

Danny smiled slightly as he thought back to the emotional phone conversation he and his parents shared yesterday. They were horrified to hear all that he had suffered, but sobbed in relief to know that Cochrane was dead. It was only Steve’s repeated reassurances that Danny was ok, and that he would look after their son, that finally allowed Danny’s parents to hang up with some peace of mind.

As he gazed at the sunset, the detective felt two strong, warm hands come to rest on his shoulders then slide across his chest. Steve pulled the smaller man back to lean against him.

“How’s the head?” Steve whispered, lowering his head until their faces were pressed together.

“It’s better, headache’s almost gone.”

“How about the rest of you?”

Danny smiled.

“It’s getting better too. I think I’m just starting to realize it’s over and we’re safe.”

“We are safe, Danny,” Steve agreed, turning his face to press his lips to Danny’s cheek. ”You’re safe.”

Danny turned his face to kiss Steve on the lips and the taller man hummed happily. He pulled away slightly.

“Do you know what we need?” Steve asked with a grin.

“What?”

“Our song.”

Danny chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, babe, that would be nice.”

Steve let go of his boyfriend and jogged into the living room to find their secret CD which was carefully hidden from prying eyes.

Danny chuckled when he thought about the taunting he and Super SEAL would experience if their friends discovered that, not only did the two love to dance together in the kitchen, their favourite song to dance to was “Could I Have This Dance” sung by Anne Murray.

As the music began, Steve hurried back into the kitchen and stopped in front of Danny bowing to him with a flourish. The detective grinned and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s torso and rested his head on the taller man’s chest as the two began to sway together in the falling evening light.

 

The End.


End file.
